IRVING — In a matter of two weeks, the Cowboys have gone from one extreme to the other in addressing when defensive tackle Jay Ratliff might return from injury.

Throughout training camp, the Cowboys said Ratliff should be back for the season opener Sept. 8 against the Giants. Owner Jerry Jones said Saturday, however, that it’s unlikely Ratliff will be ready by then.

And on Monday, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett couldn’t definitively say that Ratliff would play in the first six games.

The Cowboys were confronted with even more defensive line concerns Monday with Jason Hatcher — the team’s other starting tackle — out of practice with a strained groin.

Hatcher said he expects to be 100 percent for the opener. But with no timetable set for Ratliff’s return, the Cowboys have to develop a contingency plan.

That plan has become clearer in recent weeks with the steady play of Nick Hayden, who has been at first-team tackle in place of Ratliff. Other options include veteran Sean Lissemore and the inexperienced Ben Bass.

But it’s Hayden who has stood out this preseason. The Cowboys signed Hayden (6-4, 301) in February. A sixth-round pick by Carolina in 2008, Hayden didn’t play in the NFL last year.

Hayden started 13 games in three seasons with the Panthers. Cincinnati signed him in 2011, and he played only two games. He suffered a high ankle sprain during the 2012 preseason and ended up reaching an injury settlement with the Bengals.

By October last year, Hayden’s ankle had healed. Back at his home near Milwaukee, Hayden waited for an NFL team to call, but his phone never rang. No NFL team even brought him in for a workout.

“It was hard,” Hayden said. “I mean, you never know when this game is going to end. Every guy in the locker room, you just don’t know. That’s why you just have to take full advantage of every opportunity. I’m just glad I got the opportunity to come here.”

Cowboys coaches and teammates rave about Hayden’s energy. He has four tackles (one for loss) and a fumble recovery this preseason.

“He’s done a very good job for us since he’s been here,” Garrett said. “He shows up as a playmaker in the run game and also affecting the quarterback in the pass game. So he’s been very impressive.”

Still, it had to be alarming to look out on the practice field Monday at Valley Ranch and see Hayden and Bass playing with the first-team defense. After all, the two players have combined for three tackles in four games over the last two seasons.

The big question is when Ratliff can return. He hasn’t been involved in team drills in more than nine months. He hasn’t come close to practicing this preseason while still recovering from sports hernia surgery last December and a hamstring he strained in mid-July to start training camp.

Garrett likes to say that Ratliff is day to day, but in reality he’s week to week. He has made little progress in his rehab since the club has returned from training camp in California.

Ratliff is on the physically unable to perform list. If the Cowboys don’t move Ratliff from the PUP list before final roster cuts Saturday, he will miss the team’s first six games on the reserve/PUP list.

Asked Monday if he has any doubt that Ratliff will be removed from the PUP list this week, Garrett danced around the topic.

“Oh, we’ll just evaluate his situation day by day, see how he’s doing and how he’s progressing,” Garrett said.

The Cowboys are thinking big-picture with Ratliff. Rather than push him to get back for the season opener, they want him to be at full strength when he does return and help them for most of the season instead of prolonging his absence.

The Cowboys, in part, want to protect Ratliff from himself. Despite straining his hamstring during the team’s conditioning test to start training camp, Ratliff kept running and finished the test. As Jones said Saturday, “Ratliff will play on one leg.”

Ratliff didn’t play last season until Oct. 14, a Week 6 game at Baltimore. He played in only six games and was in for just 261 snaps. He finished with 16 tackles (one for loss) and no sacks.

The Cowboys want Ratliff back as soon as possible. In the meantime, they’ll rely on Hayden.

“I love Hayden,” Hatcher said. “He plays the game the right way. He’s been great for us.”

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